Cross sheeting

[jppp]

I can't believe I didn't think of this. I've gone back to the dock because of high winds, finding it difficult to take the helm and the headsail at the same time. I would sit on the leeward side holding the genoa sheet with 4 wraps and tiller with my foot.

[centaursailor]

I,ll give it a go next time I,m out though my bilg keeler ain,t so sensitive to weight distribution. Have only used sweating when tightening springs till now. Always good to see old time tips that work.
Safe sailing

[AdamLein]

Originally Posted by jppp

I've gone back to the dock because of high winds, finding it difficult to take the helm and the headsail at the same time. I would sit on the leeward side holding the genoa sheet with 4 wraps and tiller with my foot.

That is a pretty good point. I have also found myself in this situation where I'm leaning back on the leeward cockpit coaming, feeling like I'm reaching up to everything, holding the tiller a bit to windward with my foot while trimming in the sheet (with my non-ST winches). Still, that task doesn't take forever, and I have a tiller pilot which sometime does half the work for me (and sometimes adds work).

[sfchallenger]

Works great with a kite too! Now the spinnaker sheet trimmer is in a position to see the luff of the sail without peering under the main.

[AdamLein]

Originally Posted by sfchallenger

Works great with a kite too! Now the spinnaker sheet trimmer is in a position to see the luff of the sail without peering under the main.

Hm. I think it's convenient to leave spinnaker sheets permanently on the winch drum, which means that to cross-sheet I'd have to have both sheets permanently across the cockpit. Also they couldn't go straight across because the opposite winch is busy carrying the opposite sheet, so they'd have to go diagonally up to the primary winches or something. At least with my cockpit layout, sounds way too spider-webby for me.

If you just mean half a wrap on the leeward drum and then the trimmer holds the tail on the windward side... I wouldn't call that cross-sheeting.

[sfchallenger]

It occurs to me this probably has a lot to do with the location of secondary winches.

[AdamLein]

Originally Posted by sfchallenger

It occurs to me this probably has a lot to do with the location of secondary winches.

Definitely. I think mine might be in a somewhat old-fashioned location, aft of the primaries, in comparison with race boats I've crewed on, which used winches on the cabintop for sheeting the spinnaker.